Livonia water rates set to increase 6.7 percent

Get out that checkbook. Livonia residents can expect their water bills to see a price increase later this summer.

The Livonia City Council reviewed proposed increases to water and sewer rates for 2017-2018 at its last study meeting. Overall, rates are expected to increase by about 6.7 percent for average water users beginning July 1, if approved.

That increase is about $10 more per billing quarter for users who consume 20 units of water. Lower users who use about 10 units of water per quarter will see an increase of about $5 more per billing cycle, and high users who consume 30 units of water will see their bill increase by about $16 per quarter.

"The increase is necessitated mainly by increases in our costs from the Great Lakes Water Authority for water, and Wayne County for sewer services," said Coline Coleman, the city's chief accountant.

Fixed costs for rate-payers are not changing from last year.

The rate increase stems from increases in rates from both the GLWA and Wayne County, as well as increased costs from the city. Those costs include another $750,000 in improvements to the city's system, which is part of a settlement the city reached in 2015 after it was sued over the 2011 flooding issues. That city agreed to invest $1.5 million into its system as a part of that settlement. The other $750,000 was put into the rates set last year.

The city also plans on spending $1 million to replace a mile of water main along Five Mile between Merriman and Middlebelt, a stretch that has seen multiple water main breaks in recent years, said Don Rohraff, the department of public works director.

"Since ... this current January, we've had over 10 water main breaks there already, and that's over $70,000 in repairs just for that stretch from Inkster to Merriman," Rohraff said.

Several other emergency repairs were also done across the city in the past year, facilitating an increase in local costs.

The proposed increase this year is less than last year, when the city raised the rates by 8.9 percent.

Looking at surrounding communities, Rohraff said, Livonia's cost for water remains lower than most: the city's proposed 2017-2018 rate is currently below the proposed rates in Northville, Westland and Canton. Average water users in Farmington Hills will see lower costs than average users in Livonia.

Impact

Councilwoman Maureen Miller Brosnan said she wanted to begin reviewing the rates from previous years since the fixed costs were first introduced in 2012. She expressed concern over the still fluctuating rate changes over the last several years.

"I think we're beginning to develop a track record now with five years under our belt. You're now starting to see patterns and trends," she said. "And the expectation of when we originally entered into this was that we would see increases around that 5 percent rate, and yet we've seen where that's the average. That's not necessarily where we're going every year."

Rohraff said he has not seen major changes when it came to working with Wayne County on the sewer rates each year, something that has not changed since the GLWA launched several years ago.

"The interaction we have with Wayne County in regards to rate on the sewer side is very little if any at all," he said.

He said there has been talk from Wayne County that the county would eventually like to get out of the sewer business.

The council will do a first reading of the new ordinance with the rates at its next meeting on May 22.